Mexican drug cartel leader Nemesio Oseguera, popularly known as ‘El Mencho,’ was killed in a military operation on Sunday. This comes hours after Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro confirmed that an operation had caused clashes, fires and violence in Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta, including at the airports.
Meanwhile, conservative commentator Laura Loomer posted videos, claiming that Americans were being targeted at Guadalajara Airport, where locals said they heard gunshots.
Read More: El Mencho killed: 5 things to know about Mexican drug kingpin Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes
“After the US eliminated a top Cartel leader in Mexico today, Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) has retaliated by storming the Guadalajara Airport with armed gunmen. They are now taking American tourists hostage at nearby highways and hotels,” Loomer posted on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.
El Mencho killed
Oseguera was a police officer before he became the leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), an outfit that operates from Guadalajara. While authorities did not confirm the details of the operation, sources told AP and Reuters that El Mencho was dead.
Over a relatively short period of time, the CJNG morphed into a continents-spanning criminal enterprise rivaling former allies in the Sinaloa Cartel, the gang of captured kingpin Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman, now in a US prison.
Read More: ‘Shelter in place immediately’: US Embassy in Mexico issues urgent security alert after El Mencho’s killing
“The operation for his arrest was led by the Defense ministry, and he ended up being killed,” one source told Reuters.
Chaos in Mexico
The news of Oseguera’s death followed a federal security operation in the city of Tapalpa in Jalisco, according to a social media post by governor Pablo Lemus Navarro, who urged residents to stay home until the situation was brought under control.
“We remain in Code Red. We reiterate the recommendation to avoid leaving your homes. The clashes are occurring in several federal entities,” he added in a subsequent post.
Videos on social media showed cars ablaze, sending dark smoke into the sky, on roads in Jalisco. Mexican media outlets reported burning vehicles and gunmen blocking highways in more than half a dozen states across the country, particularly in the north and northwest.
Alfredo Ramirez Bedolla, the governor of the state of Michoacan, wrote on X that he had received reports of state highways being blocked as a result of the operation in Jalisco.
US Embassy issues alert
The US Embassy in Mexico urged American citizens in Jalisco, Tamaulipas, Michoacán, Guerrero, Nuevo León and other cities to shelter in place amid ongoing security operations.
“Due to ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity, US citizens in the named locations should shelter in place until further notice,” the alert read.